Related

Each year, the Perennial Plant Association, a professional trade association based in Hilliard, Ohio, picks what it calls the Perennial of the Year.

Formed in 1984, the association today has more than 1,300 members worldwide, ranging from garden designers and landscape architects to horticultural educators, nursery owners, even a few home gardeners.

But only certain members can take part in the process of selecting the Perennial of the Year.

These members are usually people whose full-time job it is to either grow or sell or design with perennials.

The primary goal of the PPA is to improve the perennial plant industry by "providing education to enhance the production, promotion and utilization of perennial plants."

The first plant to be named Perennial of the Year was Phlox stolonifera, chosen in 1990. There have been 21 other perennials named since.

The selection process happens around this time every year.

Four perennials are selected by a committee from a comprehensive list of nominations made by the general membership.

You can imagine, there are thousands of cultivars to chose from out there. Selecting four as candidates for the star-perennial status can't be an easy task. I suspect nominating movies for an Oscar is a lot easier.

Apart from sheer popularity, all four nominated plants must possess the following key characteristics: suitable for a wide range of climate types; low maintenance, easily propagated (easily comes true from seed or vegetative propagation); and exhibits multiple seasonal interest.

Next, a vote is taken to choose one of the nominees as the winning Perennial of the Year.

They don't send up white smoke when the result is known, but news of the selection does travel quickly far and wide, being reported in trade journals and magazines. The chosen plant is often prominently featured on the cover of nursery catalogues.

The chosen plant always gets fantastic media coverage. (Like this). Does all the attention the plant gets translate into sales? Mostly, it does.

Home gardeners are surprisingly conscious of highly rated perennials and they know that if they populated their herbaceous border with Perennials of the Year, they are virtually guaranteed success as the plants are all foolproof performers.

John Schroeder, owner of Heritage Perennials in Abbotsford and past board member of the Perennial Plant Association, says there is always a "sales bump" corresponding to the Perennial of the Year pick, but some "bumps" are bigger than others.

"For example, Amsonia was the POTY for 2011 and our sales barely registered. The more popular the perennial, the greater the sales bump. Even though Amsonia is an excellent garden plant, it's just not sexy or well known."

The Perennial of the Year for 2012 is Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost', one of my all-time favourites.

It has large silvery white leaves accented with green veins. It grows about 30-37 cm (12 — 15 inches) high and produces beautiful blue forget-me-not-like flowers in spring.

'Jack Frost' is an excellent choice," says Schroeder. "It is one of the best new perennials of the last 10 years. It looks great in the garden from spring to fall, tolerates shade and does well in dry as well as regular soils. It's a real winner."

Gary Lewis, of Phoenix Perennials in Richmond, is currently a board member of the PPA.

"From a retail perspective the POTY program definitely helps sales," he says. "Some gardeners are aware of the program and will seek out the plants.

"But even in subsequent years it definitely adds to the confidence in the perennial on the part of the consumer — they feel like they are making the right decision."

Looking over the total list of 23 perennials the PPA has chosen since 1990, including 'Jack Frost', I see many other personal favourites — ones I have had in my garden for years because they are such flawless performers.

Heuchera 'Palace Purple', the 1991 selection, has been long pushed out of the limelight by more exciting cultivars, but like a Beatles hit it never loses its charm.

Most gardeners have the mounding yellow flowers of Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' in some sunny corner and perhaps the pale pink flowers of Astilbe 'Sprite' adding structure and colour in a semi-shade spot.

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' set a standard of excellence for reliability that few plants can match and Phlox 'David' is still regarded as the most mildew-resistant of phloxes.

I have never had much luck with echinacea, but I have to concede that 'Magnus" is a winner and was thoroughly deserving being named Perennial of the Year for 1998.

Others that have been flawless performers in my garden include Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola', Helleborus hybridus and Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'.

It's well worth taking time to familiarize yourself with the complete list of Perennials of the Year.

Some of them, such as Geranium 'Rozanne' and Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' work just as well in containers as in the garden, and ones like the Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' are just worth having because they are such a classy specimen.

Here's the complete list of Perennials of the Year since 1990

2012 Brunnera 'Jack Frost'

2011 Amonsia hubrichtii

2010 Baptisia australis

2009 Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

2008 Geranium 'Rozanne'

2007 Nepeta 'Walker's Low'

2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Feuerhexe'

2005 Helleborus x hybridus

2004 Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'

2003 Leucanthemum 'Becky'

2002 Phlox 'David'

2001 Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

2000 Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'

1999 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'

1998 Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

1997 Salvia 'Mainacht' (May Night)

1996 Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'

1995 Perovskia atriplicifolia

1994 Astilbe 'Sprite'

1993 Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'

1992 Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'

1991 Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'

1990 Phlox stolonifera

swhysall@vancouversun.com

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Best performance perennials

Video

Renovating Videos

Best of Postmedia

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, ‘Come and see.’ And I saw, and behold a white elephant, and he that sat upon him had a crown, which he wore atop his fiery hair, and […]

Millennials, amirite? They’re nothing but Instagram-happy, emoji-LOL-ing, mannequin-challenging navelgazers. Or so the theory goes. How can they put their pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else, when they’re sausaged into skinny jeans? Yet when it comes to […]

An Ottawa judge has thrown out a romance fraud case that has taken more than four years to go to trial, ruling that the excessive delay has robbed the accused man of his right to a fair trial. Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips on Friday stayed the case against Kevin Bishop of Ottawa, who had […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.